


paint the sky

by Nikappon



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Cute, Fluffy, Full of fluff, M/M, Soulmate AU, Vanilla, bad timeline, colors soulmate au, dongmin is the motherly figure and moon bin is the father, freshman college life, jinwoo is head over heels for myungjun, minhyuk is scary to sanha but just wants his love, sanha is a smol ball always excited, somewhat angsty in the beginning but dw it fades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 01:57:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8647372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikappon/pseuds/Nikappon
Summary: Jinwoo's world changes when he finds himself falling for a fast food worker.
(soulmate au where you can only see black and white until you meet your soulmate)





	

**Author's Note:**

> bc im a hoe for soulmate au's, ok?  
> its rated G cuz theres a mention of wet dreams and some words like "hell" and "damn" but thats rly all there is i swear lol  
>  no but this was rly fun to write, i loved this  
> this is for all you aroha out there~ :*

Jinwoo looks at the world through only black and white.

  
They can't exactly be classified as colors - in his opinion - because from what his mama and papa have told him, and everyone else's mamas and papas, the sun is a shining ball of what they call "yellow", and the grass on the ground is classified as "green". From the times he's gone shopping with his mom and held onto her white hand, he just gazes in confusion with a mundane expression on his face as she picks up whatever she's examining, exclaiming to him how beautiful it is and whatnot.

  
Some cars are darker shades of black than others, and the same goes for white - he's asked his mom which is actually colored and which isn't multiple times. What confuses him most are the words he believes to be blatant lies, that he'll one day figure out what it's like to see the world with so many different colors. He's only 7.

  
When he was 5, his mother told him what soulmates were. She said it was the person you were born to be destined with, and that you would know exactly who that special person was the moment you laid eyes on him.

  
"How do you know they're the one?" He asks with big, curious doe eyes, glancing up at his mother, away from the book she's currently reading to him. She smiles, a smile that leaves her eyes resembling crescents and her cheeks to flush whiter than they already were, glee spread over her face.

  
"That's when you can suddenly see colors." She had simply stated, and then went into detail of how she met his father, how she could suddenly recognize "pink and orange and red and oh my god, it was like the world had suddenly stopped," with such a jubilant countenance.

  
At the age of 11, he sympathizes with the kids who explain their sadness in not being able to see like their parents can, how they want to be able to enjoy the trips to the art museums their school forces them to go to, how left out they feel when their science teacher shows them the difference between red and yellow lizards. He understands them, sharing his stories of how his mom always makes him go outside to enjoy the "gorgeous" flowers she's begun growing in her garden, flowers that he doesn't understand why one is so beautiful and the others are not as. Jinwoo accepts the fact his sights are limited; everyone else goes through the same thing and he's no different.

  
Those thoughts change when he becomes a freshman in high school, previous stance on going with the flow all reaching a new conclusion in his mind once he meets a guy named Moonbin. Moonbin is handsome - he's got such pretty jet black hair that falls just above his eyes, his sharp eyes and proportioned face. His voice is deep, yet it's high, and Jinwoo just wants to know exactly what color his eyes are, because all he can see from them is just black, black, black. It's the same with the uniform they all wear, since some kids(that have apparently already met their soulmates) tell him the shirt's white and the tie is "brown-ish black". He thanks them for informing him, wondering what the hell "brown" is.

  
On the very first day of their high school life, Moonbin tells them that something strange is happening to him during lunch time, and Jinwoo can only guess what's going on, what with the astonished gazes in every single direction, and all the head turns to every side. He's jealous - he honestly is - and as Jinwoo turns around to see what's got Moonbin's stare stolen from him for over fifteen seconds, he feels his heart drop at the sight of an absolutely stunning guy, hair a slightly darker shade of black compared to Moonbin's. The student just stands in the same place, jaw open slightly and eyes widened to the same extent as Moonbin's as he holds a paper bag in one hand, and a textbook in the other. Moonbin had gotten up immediately after that, exchanging an awkward self-introduction with the boy, who had come to sit down to eat lunch with him.

  
His name is Dongmin, and Jinwoo remembers the first thing he'd taken notice of about him - those eyes. It's just another color of black to Jinwoo, but the way they were shaped was just so damn pretty to him. Age 15, and Jinwoo realizes with a thump in his heart and a lump in his throat that he's attracted to guys.

  
He's heard and read about what others think of gays - a lot of it is positive, thankfully, but there are those in the world who openly hate them and argue that they're not meant to be. What if his soulmate is a guy? Is it his fault that's the gender of the person he's meant to be with? Jinwoo feels a pang in his heart, thinking about how happy Moonbin and Dongmin have been since they met a week ago, how many dates Moonbin has informed Jinwoo of and what fun they were. They haven't kissed - yet, and Jinwoo's just left to deal with the puddle of self guilt that pools at the bottom of his stomach, wishing it was him in that position.

 

  
For some reason, Jinwoo has been woken up to sweat skating across his abdomen and cold chills down his spine after dreaming of some nasty things he doesn't want to think about, given the fact he's heard that all guys have wet dreams - but he's only started just now, while he's 17. In fact, there's weird things that strike across his eyes while he's dreaming, sights he can't exactly explain with words, and can only remember the words his mom feeds to him for a few days after he's asked her about what's going on with him(leaving out the fact he's been getting excited from sexually-induced dreams).

  
"Oh, that," She brings another spoonful of cereal up to her mouth that morning, "I had those. It means you're going to meet your soulmate soon," and she continues with another mouthful, "what you're seeing are probably colors."

  
Jinwoo just stares in shock, slowly has to pick his feet up from the ground as he drags himself to the kitchen to fix his own breakfast, body almost paralyzed from shock. The words sink inside of his mind, almost drowning as Jinwoo attempts to shake them away throughout the day by burying himself in school work or by reading a book, but they always manage to resurface without his consent.

  
He's scared - every single day - that he's gonna wake up with a room full of colors his eyes have never had the experience of witnessing, or that he's gonna somehow bump into a stranger and fall into a deep love story like all the movies he's seen because they're the only one who can unlock the cones in his retinas. His mom never specified how long it was after the visions that she met Jinwoo's father - the damn woman - so Jinwoo's just left to go through his day with a sweat breaking out on his face, nervous biting of nails, leg rocks backing and forth, or anxiety piling up in his mind to the point where he has to physically let out all the stress with a run or sports.

  
It's 2 months before high school graduation before he knows it, and even with a world that's still unchanged - stained in black and white - Jinwoo finds himself happy with his friends Moonbin, Dongmin, and Sanha. On such a sunny, warm April day, he laughs with the three of them as they all go to a nearby park to play basketball against each other, a bubbly atmosphere hanging over the lot of them. In moments like these, he forgets it all - forgets the lingering curiousity that drawls over him when he wonders what color the basketball is, what color the court is, or what color Sanha's hair is. Dongmin announces to both of them that it's a bright shade of orange, the same color that everyone says is the citrus fruit he loves to bite into and drink the juice from.

  
Sweaty and in need of a small break, Jinwoo and Sanha head to the pair of benches that are in front of the playground of their park, sitting themselves right next to eachother even with all the space left on the bench that can hold about 3 more people of their size. Moonbin and Dongmin have now moved onto taking strolls through the paved paths around all the open space of grass, hands clasped together, fingers interlocked.

  
Jinwoo's heart tugs at him through the view he gets of the two looking at one another so fondly, as if they hold so much love for one another, more than the universe can ever comprehend. It's not hatred, but is it is raw envy, proven by how much he just wants to be with somebody like that. He wants to wake up to mornings with someone by his side, for the first thing to see be a gorgeous face with eyes of some color Jinwoo decides is his favorite, to pepper kisses along someone's neck and praise them, appreciate them for how amazing they are and how much he loves them. Jinwoo could go on and on, but Sanha's voice pulls him out of his thoughts - something he's very thankful for, if he were to be completely honest. He's gotten lost in his own head too many times.

  
"Hyung," he almost whispers, as if his voice is on the edge of breaking, but at the same time, gentle and whimsical. "Do you ever wonder what color the sky is?"

  
Jinwoo's focused glare down unto his shoes is disregarded. "Sky?" He says the word as if it's a foreign language, something that he has to take the time to sit down and learn. "Doesn't everyone say it's 'blue', or something like that?"

  
Sanha nods. "Yeah. It's blue, but have you ever heard of sunsets?"

  
The word's not a completely new sound to him - he's heard his mom exclaim it as she drags him outside of their house to make him go look at it with her - and Jinwoo's remembering that it's what happens when the sun goes down for the moon to come out.

  
He scoffs, breath coming out a bit harsher than he expected. "Of course I have. I can tell it's always a different color every single time; the shades are a bit darker or brighter or whatever, but's it really not that special," His head turns to meet Sanha's curious stare, "is it?"

  
The younger shrugs, eyes falling shut before returning up to the sky. "I don't know. But the people on the internet are always posting pictures of it, pointing out how pretty it is." Sanha stops for a moment before continuing, "Do you know what a rainbow is?"

  
Another thing his mom has told him about, but just another array of blacks and whites to him. He nods, "Yeah."

  
"They say it's got 7 different colors, all such pretty ones and how beautiful it is when it just stays there in the sky, and did you know? There's an expression that goes, 'all the colors of the rainbow'!" Jinwoo smiles at Sanha when he pauses to take a breath, who's faced towards him, eyes shining brightly and face a full painting of excitement. "I can't wait 'til I meet my new soulmate, we're gonna go to all sorts of places and watch the sunsets together, sing together in the rain and wait excitedly for the rainbow to go into the sky, even go to Hawaii together and swim in the ocean, pick flowers for him or her and put them in their hair..." He sighs dreamily with his head placed in his hands.

  
Jinwoo's glad for Sanha, glad that he can look forward to something like that with so much exhilaration; it's something that he can't really find himself doing anymore - unlike his 5 year old self, who was so excited he sometimes couldn't sleep at night from the thought of waking up tomorrow and meeting the person who's he destined to love for the rest of his life.

  
"You know," Jinwoo begins, to Sanha but mainly to himself, "I've always thought the idea of colors was all just a big fluke. That everyone was kinda tricking me." His gaze is refocused on his shoes, ears drawn out to the sound of chirping birds and playful screams of children. "I mean, how can we know everyone is actually telling the truth?"

  
Sanha's eyes are fixed on two figures playing tennis in the tennis courts about half a football field away from them, but he's nonetheless focused on their conversation, asking, "You don't believe Moonbin and Dongmin, then?"

  
"That's-that's not what I'm saying." Jinwoo sighs.

 

"Don't you remember what their faces looked like when they first saw each other, first saw color?"

  
Jinwoo's brought back to his own memories of the ones Sanha's brought up - yes, he definitely does remember how much of a frenzy the two were in as they frantically looked all around them and at the ground(even in a damn mirror, for god's sake), unable to truly grasp vision of a completely new world. He hates that in that particular moment he was bubbling with envy, wishing it were him to be witnessing what color the other person was, or what color the sky was, the grass, and everything. He absolutely hates that about himself, can't get his own self to forgive and accept, so he just nods in response, mouth shut tight like a zipper.

  
He remembers how happy the two were when they listed off all the hair and eye colors of the students whom they saw. Knows that the two are most likely going to spend their entire lives together, because he knows from what his mom told him that soulmates never, ever divorce or fall out of love with each other, that that's just how the world works and how it's all supposed to run.

  
"I believe them," Sanha states, with his happy-go-lucky tone and his cute ears perking up. "And I believe that I'll find my soulmate soon."

  
Jinwoo doesn't reply - doesn't know how to reply, actually - his glare is still boring unto the tied shoelaces of his sneakers, and his upper half is bent over with his arms resting onto his thighs, fingers wound tightly together.

  
"Hyung?" Sanha once again throws him out of his intense thinking, a habit he decides he really needs to shake off once and for all after so many years.

  
"You'll find your soulmate in the future. I know you will, hyung."

  
His words are so kind and gentle, so reassuring and promising, and Jinwoo has to remind himself to not get lost into hopeless promises like those, after so much white lies his mother has fed him over the years.

  
"How do you know that?"

  
Sanha shrugs, then smiles at him. "I just have that kinda feeling."

  
A laugh; Jinwoo realizes it's his own. "I wish I could believe it that easily."

 

After another few moments of silence, Sanha kills the heavy atmosphere with a new topic for them to lose themselves in, especially Jinwoo. "College starts in five months."

  
Jinwoo just looks at him.

  
"Are you going to join the dance team with me and Moonbin, hyung?"

 

"Maybe," Jinwoo shrugs, taking a moment to adjust himself as he leans his cheek against his fist, elbow still pressed against his thigh. "Maybe not. I'll probably be really focused on my major."

  
"Astronomy?" Sanha asks, and Jinwoo nods.

  
Jinwoo recalls that night he spent with his friends at a meteor watching event, not bothering to join in with everyone else who was there as they voiced "ooh"s and "aah"s all in unison, some of it due to the fact he couldn't really see anything but blobs of detailed black and some lighter shade his mom always has to remind him is "gray", but mainly because he was so intrigued by the multiples of comets that soared across the sky and the hundreds of stars that littered the pitch black atmosphere. He loved his science classes whenever they focused on a unit on astronomy, memorized almost every single thing about the solar system and the names of constellations. The textbooks tell him the stars are yellow but to him they look white, and that the sky is a royal blue, but to him, it's just another black.

  
It's a thing he really, really loves. The world might be stained in only two or three colors through his eyes, but at least there's this to keep him going.

  
Jinwoo knows that Sanha's not sure of what his major should be, because he's been changing his field of interest almost every month, sharing text messages saying he wants to be a fireman, or a face lit up accompanied by an exclamation that he suddenly wants to be a cop. It's cute, Jinwoo thinks, that he's always so optimistic and still doesn't know what to do; with an attitude like that, Jinwoo knows that Sanha will definitely discover something that can't be compared to anything else when it comes to a career.

  
Jinwoo spends the rest of the last two months of school studying his ass off for good grades and good test scores to go to the college he wants to along with Sanha, Moonbin, and Dongmin - and when he finally graduates, he's beyond happy as he throws his cap into the air. They share their national test scores, their overall grades and whatnot as they all celebrate over a family-friend dinner at their town's most popular restaurant, a mood of elation floating above them.

  
Summer also goes by in a flurry of fun trips to Seoul and hot, movie-marathon-filled nights as they all spend most of their waking time together, making the most of their 3 months before they're all sent off to school. Sanha decides to just go with microbiology as his major, Dongmin heads off to the literature department, and Moonbin keeps his a secret from the three of them. Jinwoo smiles, glad the way his life is heading in a bright future - and that his friends are, too.

  
He's now 18, still half a year from turning 19(his birthday's in March). It's a particular day in September - a few weeks after college has started - that Sanha invites him to a fast food restaurant he claims to have 'super duper good reviews and the food is bomb'. They're currently standing in Jinwoo's dorm room, and Sanha is fresh out of the shower from a grueling dance practice; the wet hair and fresh scent proves it.

  
Not that Jinwoo is smelling him or anything, no. No way. It just happens to permeate the room.

  
Jinwoo laughs at the choice of vocabulary. "What?" He scoffs, "have you been there to prove it?"

  
Sanha nods, profusely, pouting. "Come on, hyung."

  
Jinwoo holds his arms up in a surrender stance, grins. "I didn't say I wouldn't," He looks the younger - yet taller - up and down, searching for something to critic his horrible eating habits on. Although, he must really work out a ton, because even with all the crap he feeds his body, he's still lean and skinny. "Don't you want to feed your body something healthy for once?"

  
"Nope," Sanha deadpans, fitting his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He then changes his mind, grasps Jinwoo's elbow, pleading, "Come on, hyung, I wanna go with you."

  
Well, what the hell. It's been a few years since he last visited any fast food joint, so he figures there's no harm in revisiting some of his good(but not good) childhood memories just this once.

  
"Sure." He shakes his arm away from Sanha's grasp, and grabs his wallet from the small nightstand next to his bed. Sanha's currently cheering, jumping around and making fist bumps in the air, and then they're heading off together to their destination.

  
When they get there, Jinwoo kind of has to admit, this place is pretty nice for a fast food restaurant. There's, well, black and white tiled walls that have him wondering if they're actually a different color, and the same goes for the floor, too. Feels kind of like the 50s in America, if you ask him(but there's no elevated seats in front of the kitchen, just black booths and white chairs around dull tables). It's not overcrowded, but there is a good number of people - some standing in line and others sitting down munching on their food or waiting, either glancing up to the counter from their phones or currently standing near the drink dispenser.

  
Jinwoo orders what he recalls he used to get whenever he went to one of these places, and he's honestly not surprised when Sanha orders a meal that could feed 3. They split the bill, though Jinwoo was the one who got less. He just smiles, reassuring Sanha that he's not gonna go broke or anything even if he has to pay for an appetite like the younger's.

  
They've situated themselves comfortably in a booth near the front of the place, next to the window that showcases the view outside. Black and white, some gray speckles, is what Jinwoo sees besides people, buildings, cars. Some dogs. The occasional bird.

  
They're only into a few minutes of waiting, before the sight of a guy that looks pretty damn short from his view catches his eyes. Jinwoo can only see the side of his face, so he can't exactly tell if that's a wide smile on his face or a grimace, but his lips are stretched to the corners of his mouth and his baseball cap covers most of his countenance. He can also notice that the guy is wearing the exact same outfit the other workers are wearing, and is also sporting an apron of a dull white color.

  
"Myungjun here!" He cheerfully announces, and when he's turning the corner to get into the same space as the other workers, that's when Jinwoo sees his face, and everything suddenly just stops.

  
What the hell? It feels like he's fainted for a while, but it all happened in the blink of an eye - wait, what the hell is he looking at? Why does everything look so different all of a sudden? Sanha's not in black and white anymore, his eyes aren't black and the rest of the restaurant isn't colored in just the two shades, either. It's a very, very weird sight, and Jinwoo feels sweat start to clamp down in every plane of skin on his body, skating down his forehead.

  
Could this possibly be?

  
To confirm his suspicions, Jinwoo looks behind him and to every side he can, and he notices the exact same, god damn thing. Nothing except the tiles and walls of the restaurant are in distinct shades of black and white, and everyone's suddenly in - in color.

  
For the first time in all of his 18 and a half years, Jinwoo is seeing color.

  
' _That's when you can suddenly see colors._ ' His mom's voice rings throughout his head, and he realizes, _oh, yeah,_ that means that guy he just saw the face of is his soulmate? Oh, god, did his soulmate suddenly be struck with a bunch of new sights like he has? Is he currently trying to distinguish which locker in the dressing room of the building is his now because everything's abruptly so unrecognizable compared to before, all because of Jinwoo? Is it all Jinwoo's fault?

  
Color. The color of Sanha's hair reaches his sights. What color did Moonbin and Dongmin tell him it was? Ugh, he really just can't remember. It must be so much easier to remember the names of the colors if you can actually see them, something he obviously hasn't been able to do for the entirety of his life, up until now.

  
"Hyung, what's up?" Sanha has noticed something different with the elder, what with the way he's maneuvering his head in every direction, along with the perspiration coating his very, suddenly hot face. Jinwoo takes a moment to just breathe, swallow, before he rasps out his response.

  
"Sanha, I have to go, like, now. Right now," He's ignoring the way the younger's practically leaping himself up out of his own seat, reaching out a hand and opening his mouth to call him out. Jinwoo just gets up in a hurry, not bothering to look back as he dashes out of the building, waving to Sanha with a loud cry of, "I'll see you later!"

  
What. The. Hell. He's been on this street multiple times and can get navigate himself around the area like the back of his hand, yet now that everything is suddenly so new and splashed with actual color, he's finding it really difficult to locate anything at all.   
When he walks a few blocks down, memory relapsed but still somewhat strong from muscle retention, he's glad to find the exact same park still existant.

  
(He literally went to that park yesterday with Dongmin, why is he so relieved it's still there?)

  
Now that he's confirmed he can comfortably get around without(too much) errors, he's even more eased that he finds Moonbin sitting on a bench in the park, sweater some weird kind of color that kind of looks like white but not really, and his jeans are another thing he can't really spell out the details of. He's got white shoes on his feet, but whatever shade the soles are, Jinwoo doesn't know.

  
"Moonbin." Jinwoo calls out his name as he struts over, hands fixed into his hoodie's pockets. Moonbin looks up to the sound, and gives Jinwoo a gentle smile, setting his book down on the bench. Jinwoo assumes Moonbin is inviting him to sit down, so he does, right next to him.

  
"What's up?" Moonbin asks, voice high and harmonic, as if he didn't just spend an entire hour studying nonstop.

  
Geez - to Jinwoo, this honestly feels like a mouthful. Like bile in his throat that refuses to come up, and it's hard to bring up the topic without feeling like the mood is going to crack in half.

  
_It's sooner or later_ , he tells himself, so he forces the words out of his throat.

  
"Listen, I-" Jinwoo pauses, sighs, locks eyes with Moonbin, who's looking at him so intently. "I think I met my soulmate."

  
There it is. The cat's out of the bag. Jinwoo's screwed, totally and utterly screwed, because what with the way Moonbin just seems to blink at him in complete and utter silence as his eyes widen slowly to a huge amount, he's leaning back further and further away in his seat like he's disgusted of Jinwoo and that's honestly the only think Jinwoo can think of, what if-

  
"Your soulmate?!" Moonbin squeals, resembling a saturated teenage girl on the night of a school dance. He's hurriedly grabbing Jinwoo's hands in his, shaking them up and down with discernible excitement, an enormous smile covering his face and brightening his features. Jinwoo nods, repeatedly, and he can't help the way a grin breaks out onto his face, too.

  
"Wait," Moonbin breathes, takes his thumb and pointer finger and pinches his sweater with it, trying to hold it out to Jinwoo. "What color is this?"

  
"Uhhh...." Jinwoo stalls, which seems like a good sign to Moonbin(if the spacious size of his eyes and open, plump lips are anything to go by), before he replies, "I don't know, kind of looks like white but not really."

  
Moonbin gasps, "Oh my god," he exhales, taking a moment to look around at his supplies before he grabs them all in a rush and places them into his satchel, cursing under his breath as they all go in unorganized with a single folder hanging out of the bag, unable to fit. "Screw it," Jinwoo hears Moonbin mutter, as he takes the book and resorts to just carrying it with one hand, the other gesturing for Jinwoo to stand up - to which he obeys.

  
They leave, and Moonbin tells him that he needs to learn all of the colors sooner than later, all the while informing Jinwoo that the color of his sweater is something called cream. Like the food, Jinwoo thinks to himself, wondering if any other colors carry the same name as foods.

 

True enough, orange does. That juicy fruit he absolutely treasures, greatly enjoys drinking the juice from takes the name of the color, too.

  
Orange, he repeats in his head over and over again, like a record stuck on replay. It's a gorgeous sight - it's also the color of Sanha's hair - he finds himself saying, mutters out mantras of "wow" as Moonbin shows him the leaves of the fruit's tree they found in the park, teaching him that it's called "green". He also remembers that the grass is green, and that the sun is yellow.

  
"What color is the sky?" Jinwoo asks, reminiscing the day when Sanha asked him the same question, yet in a different point of view. They're currently walking back to their college's dorms, stopping every once in a while for Moonbin to show Jinwoo some colors he's pretty sure the elder's never laid eyes on before.

  
Moonbin hums at his question. "Blue." He states, then adds, "It's royal blue during nighttime."

  
It's still daytime, so Jinwoo looks up to the sky, really appreciates the color for what it is even though it was hanging over his head this entire time. "The clouds are white.." His voice trails off, dreamy.

  
"Hey," Moonbin begins, snapping Jinwoo out of his thoughts, who halts his walking to look back and share glances with the other. "This just happened, right?"

  
Jinwoo nods, sticks his hands back into his pockets. "Yeah," He says, "Why?"

  
"Who was it with?"

  
"Huh?"

  
"Your soulmate." Moonbin inquires, stare not so overriden by glee but now abundant with seriousness. Jinwoo taps his foot; a nervous habit to get his mind into gear.

  
He shrugs. "Some fast food worker I saw."

  
But then - oh god, Moonbin is suddenly not taking his sweet time like he just was, he grabs for Jinwoo's arm and walks at a much faster pace than what Jinwoo is used to - abruptly telling him they're going to the nearest fast food joint around here, and Jinwoo remembers that's the exact same one he was at with Sanha about twenty or thirty minutes ago.

  
"Moonbin, wait," Jinwoo pants, reaching for Moonbin's wrist that's currently sporting a hard grip on his with his other hand. Moonbin tries to ignore the action - Jinwoo can tell - what with the planted feet against the hard ground struggling to scrape across the terrain. Yet, he halts, instead listens to what Jinwoo has to say.

  
Jinwoo gives himself a sharp intake of breath. "Please," He says - his tone is broken, verging on dreary tears as he pleads. There's just no way he can go back there. What if that boy - Myungjun, right? - spots him the moment he walks in, locks eyes and all at once notices more than 3 shades of colors, notices that Jinwoo's hair is blond(also something Moonbin had to inform him of) and realizes that that one person is his soulmate, the person he's destined to be with? The thought is terrifying to Jinwoo, who wants nothing more than to just spend the rest of the day clustered up in his bedroom with a book flush against his nose. "Please."

  
Moonbin's grip on him drops, slumps back to his side. But, but then he's looking back at Jinwoo once again, eyes full of fire like the look of a grandma who's just lost in an argument with her grandson. "Fine. But we're gonna go see him next time." Just like a lenient parent who is hoping their child will change by giving them one more chance. Jinwoo beams, cheeks flush with pink as he nods profusely.

  
They head back to their dorms, topics of conversation flowing between them like unhindered chains. Jinwoo's just glad he doesn't have to worry his soulmate with a bunch of stress like he was just exposed to. It's not like a bad person, is he?

  
He just doesn't want to freak that one person out. And it's weird, Jinwoo finds it weird that he cares so much about this person even though he's never met him before. It's as if a sudden tide swept over him, crashing over him in waves. He feels like that person is a loving and caring person, and just the thought of him makes his body feel all warm and tingly, like fizzing soda that's bubbly and full of sweetness.

  
"By the way, is Sanha still there?"

  
"Sanha, how did you know he was there, too?"

  
A laugh. "Because there's no way you would actually go to a fast food restaurant unless Sanha is involved."

  
Another laugh, this time deeper. "Yeah, you're totally right."

  
Moonbin pauses, eyes flicking in every direction. "So....."

  
Jinwoo examines the way he's still looking to the side.

  
"Is he still there?"

  
Jinwoo delivers a light punch to his arm. "Hell if I know."

 

 

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Sanha's scream of surprise fills the dorm room and bounces off the walls, then Moonbin is scolding him, complaining that he's gonna have a lot of people telling him to shut up pretty soon.

  
Sanha's eyes are wider than Jinwoo has ever seen before(and that's saying something, because Sanha is surprised at almost everything he sees, just like that one time he witnessed a guy imitating realistic zombie noises that had the younger practically silently praising the stranger). "You found your soulmate?!" He yell-asks, and Jinwoo nods, lips pursed. Moonbin's standing at the open door, half outside as he apologizes to hardly any passerbys, probably wondering where the noise is coming from.   
Jinwoo examines the way Moonbin begs pardon to just a few more strangers before he shuts the door and locks it, cursing at Sanha through gritted teeth, "Shut the hell up."

  
"B-But hyung.... Jinwoo can...Can see colors now..." Sanha points at the currently sitting on the couch Jinwoo, looking back and forth between the other two in the room, lips formed into a pout. Whining, he questions Jinwoo, "What did it feel like, hyung?"

  
Jinwoo shrugs. "Like I blacked out for a long time, but never really did. Then I saw your orange hair, the blue shirt you were wearing that had white and," Jinwoo looks up to check if Sanha's wearing the same shirt(he is), but recognizes a color he doesn't yet know the name of, so he asks Moonbin.

  
"Red," Moonbin announces, and Jinwoo nods, continuing.

  
"White and red stripes. Oh, yeah," he says in surprise, with a high-pitched voice, "the uniforms the workers were wearing were really red - like bright bright red. What's that color called, Moonbin?"

  
Said teenager raises his eyebrows, giving Jinwoo a fixed glance. "Like, blood red? Crimson?" He replies, "Can't name any others off the top of my head, but you can just call it bright red."

  
"Is red the color of blood?" Sanha asks before Jinwoo can, so he just keeps his stare focused on Moonbin, who nods. "It's a really bright red, but it can be dark red, too, sometimes."

  
Both Jinwoo and Sanha nod in understanding, then Sanha's turning to Jinwoo. "Hyung," he demands, "What is," reaches to a bookcase and grabs a random book, showcasing it to the elder as he holds it up. "the color of this book?"

  
Jinjin can easily see that it's a dark, grassy green, so he states the obvious(once unknown) and spots out of the corner of his eye, Moonbin nodding and closing his eyes in satisfaction.

  
Jinwoo suddenly wonders, thinks about what colors everything else he hasn't seen is. Like snakes, jellyfish, autumn leaves, certain types of dogs, and most definitely, rainbows. He can still hear Sanha's voice in his head from the conversation they held a few months ago, telling him that people say rainbows are one of the most beautiful things, and that they say there's 7 different colors in a rainbow. The expression, too, 'all the colors of the rainbow' piques his interest.

  
He wants to classify colors by using animals, like saying owl (whatever color owls are), mouse (he doesn't know that, either) just like he used grass as a way of categorizing green.

  
Is orange orange a thing?

  
He doesn't know, but he's grinning to himself like an idiot as he heads to his room, Sanha and Moonbin following after him.

  
"Guys, please don't tell the guy he's my soulmate," Jinwoo asks of them as Sanha seats himself on the edge of his bed, staring around the room at the posters of all the idols Jinwoo admires. "I want to tell him myself, you know..."

  
He's interrupted by a pat on his back, and Moonbin walks into his sight, granting him a tender smile. "It's fine, we understand." Jinwoo spots Sanha nonchalantly nodding, and he recriprocates the action.

  
That's all the reassurance he needs from his best friends.

 

 

It's been a week since Jinwoo first saw his soulmate, and he has to admit, he's gotten pretty good at all this color business.

  
He can easily differentiate between the many kinds of apples - he now knows that the red ones are his favorite, and he loves the distinct shade of the sky when it's assisting the sun in its setting.

  
Now he knows what the authors mean when they write about pretty colors or the moments when they use nouns to describe colors - something he was very curious about a week ago and as a puzzled kid. He feels priveliged to be able to actually vividly imagine the scenes in his mind when he's lost himself in a book, despondence responding to the nostalgic memories when he remembers how he used to feel trying to comprehend the meaning of so many situations in which he was unable to coherently grasp the knowledge behind the story because of the so many descriptions of different colors and how they related to the scenery and the characters.

  
He loves how he can now go back to his favorite picture books when he was a kid and decipher the abundant contrasting shades and hues. Something about the way he feels when he rediscovers his old coloring books fill him with a sense of brief sadness, scribbled in so many distinctive colors that he recalls all seeming just black and white to him when he drew in them as a kid, not caring how distasteful they looked messily sabotaged onto paper.

  
Myungjun, his soulmate, must have similar experiences, right? Jinwoo wants to find out everything about this stranger that all at once feels so very familiar and warm to him, wants to learn if he's had horrible or once-in-a-lifetime amazing experiences as a kid, how he grew up with the world around him so bleak and dull, so much more that threaten to fall off of the tip of his tongue if he doesn't stop pondering about his piqued interest. In this current moment, all Jinwoo knows is that he really wants to see him, killer curiousity getting to the best of him as he throws on some much more appropriate clothes to wear out in public as opposed to his sweatpants and plain hoodie.

 

  
In compliance with what Moonbin has been nagging him on about for the past week, Jinwoo heads out of his dorm to head to the fast food joint Myungjun works at. He feels dope in his fresh new Adidas Superstars, pant legs rolled up, red and black flannel shirt covering his plain white tee as he tries to maintain his calm composure with every step closer to his destination.

  
Yet, he's still somewhat unsure about this. What if his soulmate really did start seeing colors that day, and when Jinwoo suddenly comes back after a week of absence, he becomes immensely ticked off? The potential occurences from the possible causes and effects make his anxiety surge throughout him.

  
Realization comes crashing down on him that's he's currently standing outside the place. The place. Yes. The fast food joint. His heart is racing, breath is coming to a standstill, and all that tears across his sight of vision is him. Myungjun.

  
But then he's gone - he's gone into the back again to do whatever his job forces him to do. Jinwoo's fist clench, he gulps and he's pushing open the door, a hot surge of trepidation rippling through him as the clinging sound of the chime reaches his ears.

  
An employee at the cash register greets him, and she's asking him what he wants to order with a cheerful voice as soon as he steps up.

  
"Uhhh..." Jinwoo mentally slaps himself across the cheek at the embarrassment he feels from his first response. "Can I just...." For a split second, Jinwoo remembers he doesn't eat fast food, so what the hell is he supposed to order?

  
Sanha's infatuation for soda briefly crosses his mind; it's as a lightbulb lit up in his mind. "Get a soda?"

  
The employee taps the screen with a full, enthusiastic smile, "Would you like anything else?"

  
Jinwoo shakes his head, and he gives her the amount he's been totaled, clutching the empty soda cup off of the counter and heading for the drink dispenser. He's not that bad of a person to get an extra large size - Sanha's health is extremely important to him(well, kind of - the damn kid is as stubborn as a mule), so he gets the smallest size this place offers(which, honestly, is still very big in his eyes).

  
He doesn't even pay attention to the worker who's currently changing the drink dispenser, so it comes as a surprise when he's hit with a sudden force, almost dropping the cup in his hand. They must have bumped into each other on accident. The worker apologizes, and Jinwoo can't stop the abrupt thought that his voice sounds so nice and gentle, like honey on his tongue; so sweet and so cordial...

  
When Jinwoo looks up, he wishes he didn't.

  
There, in front of his very eyes, stands Myungjun, whose eyes are so wide and bulging that it's a wonder they don't pop out of the boy's sockets. Jinwoo's eyes shoot down and discover one of Myungjun's hands is slowly raising up, pointer finger directed precisely at his face. Swiftly grasping Myungjun's hand in both of his, Jinwoo gulps, voice coming out in a gasp.

  
"Hey, I-I have something to tell you," He starts, swallowing down nervous saliva once again, throat suddenly dry. Myungjun blinks once, twice.

  
"You- I don't-" The employee looks all around him with his head darting side to side and he takes a moment to lean over Jinwoo's shoulders to get a good look behind the latter. Jinwoo knows this feeling - he recalls that this is the exact same place he experienced his first sights of color(of course, his soulmate works here, no duh). The feeling of boundless curiousity; an unsatiable urge, yet a burning desire to see the person who delivered you that perception.

  
But he was a coward. All the sudden sights just scared him, and he was unable to handle the new world blanketed in so many unknown pigments. And he hates himself for that; he's loathing his own self-pity - it's been a week since Myungjun has been waiting for his soulmate to come along and tell him exactly what the hell was happening and-

  
Wait. Since Myungjun is currently roaming around the restaurant like a lost child, murmurs under his breath of what everything is all of a sudden, then that means Jinwoo didn't betray him - all it means is that in that exact moment a week ago he met Myungjun's eyes, but the latter didn't meet his.

  
Myungjun isn't mad. Myungjun isn't mad. Myungjun is _not_ mad.

  
Thank god.

  
Myungjun's rounding the corner again, coming up in front of Jinwoo, and his head is still turned to the side along with his gaze as he asks, "What is all this?"

  
Jinwoo can't help but smile at the adorable, kiddish high-pitched tone that's elicited from his soulmate. "Colors." He replies, sticking his hands in his jean pockets, yet it grows even wider as Myungjun shoots him a look that says, _are you serious right now?_

  
"Colors?" Myungjun blinks, eyebrows raised very high up on his forehead, a place Jinwoo is unable to see against his curled bangs, but he can tell. Jinwoo nods, profusely, and enjoys the spread of warmth that coats his insides at Myungjun's amiable gestures - childish sighs and exhales.

  
"Ok," Myungjun nods, swallowing, "Ok." Then he turns to Jinwoo, and they're dead-on each other's sight - it makes a shiver run down Jinwoo's spine. "Let me go ask my boss for a few minutes for us to talk. Meet me outside, okay?" Myungjun points to the venue on the exterior side of the restaurant, then somewhat walk-runs his way over the counter.

  
A blush - a really, really abrupt and shameful one trickles around Jinwoo's cheeks. Frowning, he places a hand on one of the affected areas, then goes to sit himself down at one of the empty tables after attempting to shake away the red on his face(which resulted in a demoralizing failure).

  
He doesn't have to wait long before Myungjun's back, who takes a seat directly in front of the blond. The latter didn't exactly notice it before, but now he does - he realizes just how gorgeous Myungjun really is. Along with his curly bangs, his brunette hair is so shiny and appears to be soft-to-the-touch, his eyes are cute and fully accompanied with his charming, droopy eyelids. His nose is long and widens at the edge, and his lips are so plump, so pink and seem so, so soft. Jinwoo wants to know what those lips look like when he's kissed them way too many times, all red and slick with saliva - their mingling outcome.

  
With that skinny frame, Jinwoo knows Myungjun defintely does not engage in the deeds his work allows him to, like eating their food whenever he wants and fattening himself up without realizing it. No, no way - Myungjun looks good through that uniform, not too tight, yet it perfectly compliments his body line; Jinwoo knows he must be somewhat toned underneath all that fabric.

 

"So," Myungjun begins, "You're my soulmate?"

  
Well, that was blunt and straightforward. "Yeah." Jinwoo replies.

  
Myungjun then sends him an inquisitive glare. "How long did you know this?"

  
"A week now," remarks Jinwoo.

  
"Wow," Myungjun breathes; a laugh pretty on his tongue. "And you-"

  
"Are you mad at me?" Jinwoo interrupts, suddenly wishing he didn't at all from the way Myungjun's eyes widen and look at him with shock.

  
The latter frivolously waves his hands in the air. "No, no," he declares, gives the blond a soft smile as he adds, "I was just gonna comment that you did look pretty calm back there when we saw each other, you know.."

  
Jinwoo averts his eyes in naive awkwardness, scratching his head. "I wanted to see you as soon as it happened, but I-I was a coward."

  
Myungjun doesn't say anything - just focuses all of his attention on the other like the adorable, curiousity-filled physique he is - so the blond continues, "I just ran out that exact moment. Everything was so new, and it was so scary. I didn't want to meet you while looking like such an idiot."

  
"Hey," Myungjun interjects with a whisper, and it sounds very calming and assertive to his ears, "Don't say you're an idiot. Even though," He pauses, leaning back in his chair and placing the back of his head against his hands as he raises his arms, "we just met, I can tell you're a really good person already. Besides, you're my soulmate. The one I'm destined to be with, right?"

  
Jinwoo nods. "For the rest of our lives," he says.

  
The blond finds himself barely whimpering when Myungjun sends him another one of those charming smiles, teeth so damn white they would easily be the prettiest shade amongst all the others even in his previous black and white spectrum before he met the one sitting in front of him.

  
"Nice to meet you," Myungjun holds out a hand, "Kim Myungjun."

  
Jinwoo does the same. "Park Jinwoo."

  
Another smile brightens up his day - makes it far better than it already has been - and he finds himself keenly leaning towards this new boy.

  
Maybe not exactly new, because he has been his soulmate ever since he was born, but it still feels like a fresh discovery has been bestowed upon him.

  
And he thinks Myungjun is the perfect gift.

 

  
Myungjun was able to get off a few hours earlier that day, so the two of them ended up continuing their discussion while walking down their town's familiar streets, also heading to that same park Jinwoo did where he told Moonbin about what he had discovered. The brunette's first observation is the gorgeous azure of the sky, frankly stating, "It's so pretty..." as his voice trailed off into a dreamy fashion.

  
Jinwoo tells him the grass is green, the oranges are orange - which Myungjun giggles at, something Jinwoo finds deadly adorable - his hair is blond, Myungjun's hair is brown, that certain girl's eyes over there are blue, and so on and so on. He loves teaching his (soon-to-be, he hopes) significant other what all these new things are, just like how Moonbin did for him on that day. All the gestures the brunette does when he comes upon new stuff get the blond's heart racing - he can feel it in his veins, all bubbly and full of exhilaration when Myungjun does something so little as breaking out into a fit of chuckles, unconsciously letting his feet tap fastly against the ground, and even just smiling. Maybe he's getting too childish, but Myungjun is older than him - something he found out - so that's gotta say something.

  
A few days later at their school - Jinwoo discovered that Myungjun also goes to their school, and he's real happy about it - after he's already introduced his soulmate to Moonbin, Dongmin, and Sanha, the youngest comes crashing in their dance practice room after school hours, wailing loudly and madly flapping his arms around in the air.

 

"Hyung!" He whines, taking cover behind Myungjun. Jinwoo shoots his soulmate a curious glance, who returns the action. "Save me, MJ-hyung!"

  
Myungjun turns around, taking Sanha into his arms, where he snuggles up against the elder, looking very awkward due to their height differences. "Sanha, what's wrong?"

  
"He-He's chasing me," The youngest whimpers, "I think-I-I think he's my soulmate."

  
At this, Jinwoo raises an eyebrow, interest piqued. "Wait, you mean-"

  
"COME BACK HERE YOU ORANGE HAIRED GIANT!" A loud, irritated, and savage yell cuts through Jinwoo's sentence and gets the four of them - including Moonbin, since Eunwoo is currently catching up on a test he missed yesterday(although he would be there with the others if he could) - all peeping to the direction of the sound. Running in with a distasteful look of vexation appears a man who looks somewhat older than Sanha, yet his eyes are still big and he has a nice jawline on top of those pretty lips and that well-sculpted nose.

  
Not as cute as Myungjun, Jinwoo thinks, but he's still handsome. Judging by the joggers and muscle tee he wears on top of his Nikes, he's athletic by the looks of it; with that figure, he's gotta be a good dancer. His hair is marginally frizzy - if Sanha's telling the truth, it's probably due to the fact he's been chasing his, Jinwoo gets stuck on the word for a slight second, soulmate - and it's an appealing light brown color that's pleasing to Jinwoo's eyes.

  
Yet again, not as delightful as Myungjun's mop of adorable brown hair. Jinwoo knows how cliche it sounds, as he keeps repeating it over and over in his head, but really, Myungjun really is absolutely breathtaking to him; the elder is pulchritudinous, and the fact that he's so caring and aware of others just serves that beauty even more. Like a moth under a bright, scintillating light, Jinwoo is drawn to the cheerful figure next to him, whose currently shielding Sanha away from the mysterious man like a mother bear protecting her cub. Myungjun is the sun, and Jinwoo finds himself always wanting more of that pleasant tingle he gets underneath the warm rays of his shimmering sunlight.

  
Jinwoo feels a small spike of jealousy streak through him, but he knows; knows that Myungjun would never think of someone else in the way Jinwoo thinks of him. God, they're not even a couple yet - they haven't even discussed anything about being a couple - yet Jinwoo's over there acting like a fool pumped full of puppy love. But that's normal, isn't it? Myungjin is his soulmate, so they're bound to end up together that way, right? The idea sends a rush of warmth throughout him.

  
"Who are you?!" Myungjun half-screeches, half-yells as Prince Charming himself steps forward, peeking through the brunette's shoulders at a mop of orange hair. Myungjun has his back turned towards the guy, directing vicious glares at him, arms still wrapped tightly around Sanha.

  
"I'm here for the dance team." The guy says, mundane with a sharp glower. His voice is deeper than Sanha's, and for a moment, Jinwoo wonders if he's a senior. But then again, Myungjun and him are in the same grade, and his voice is much, much deeper than Myungjun's, even though he's the younger of the two.

  
"Why, you-" Myungjun begins, but he's cut off by Moonbin.

  
"Name?" He asks, circling the guy and checking him out from head to toe, letting his head roam up and down like a coach would in a physical examination.

  
"Park Minhyuk," the guy replies, "Freshman."

  
Moonbin nods, humming. "You're a dancer?"

  
Minhyuk also nods. "Yep."

  
"Show me." Moonbin curtly demands, hand grasping wrist behind his back. Myungjun moves from his current position to tell him to stop acting as if he's got a huge ego, and the action has Jinwoo smiling.

  
Minhyuk grabs his phone and connects it to one of the few speakers in the room after peeking a brief glance at Sanha, recoiling when the latter whimpers. Then the music comes on, and Jinwoo recognizes it from an idol band he absolutely loves; one of the posters in his room.

  
Minhyuk is a dancing machine to say the least - Jinwoo appreciates how fluid his movements are and how much power he puts into his snaps when he moves from one motion to the next. His timing is also spot on, and he doesn't even look fazed by all the heavy breathing he's put himself through when the beat ends.

  
Moonbin claps as soon as the song's over, striding over to where Minhyuk is and patting him on the back. "You're sick, dude," he says, voice full of excitement, and Minhyuk grins widely at the compliment, teeth a perfect array of pearly white.

  
"Wow," Jinwoo hears Sanha breathe from behind Myungjun who stands next to him; Jinwoo thinks he sounds amiably bewildered, "his smile is so pretty."

  
Minhyuk and Moonbin are laughing over something, but the former's eyes shoot fully open as realization dawns over him. "Wait, that's not why I'm here," he says - thinks out loud - sauntering forward

  
Moonbin's eyebrows raise in confusion, "But you just said-"

  
"Come here," Minhyuk reaches his hand out, trying to grasp for Sanha who's presently being dragged backwards by Myungjun.

  
"Hyung, it's okay," Sanha reassures the elder, then steps out of his protection, glancing down at Minhyuk, who, unironically, is shorter than him. Almost everyone Jinwoo knows is shorter than Sanha, except for Dongmin. Jinwoo himself is shorter than Myungjun by just one centimeter.

  
Myungjun lets it happen, steps back and watches the scene unfold in front of him as both Minhyuk and Sanha start directly introducing themselves and asking the other what the color of their hair is called, and all Jinwoo can think is that they're so adorable and charming with the way they look at each other as if the're the most delicate thing they've ever seen.

  
Two days later, on a sunny Wednesday right after the final bell rings to signal school is over for the day, Jinwoo and Myungjun meet up in one of the school's exterior hallways, surrounded by bright, pretty green grass and benches where students like to go to eat lunch. The flowers around the area are various in pastel colors, lavender and orange poppies that scatter across the terrain. The brunette announces that he was able to successfully get Sanha and Minhyuk together as a couple yesterday, exclaiming in a bubbly tone of how well planned out his operation was. Jinwoo finds it cute, finds it amazing how talented Myungjun is at these things, and a burning curiousity is lit in his mind.

  
The blond grabs his wrist, stopping both of them in their walking, and Myungjun looks back, eyes opened slightly wider than his normal doe fashion in unadulterated inquiry.

  
Jinwoo lets his hand rest, dropping it to his side, no longer clutching the other's tightly as to not inflict uneasiness in case the topic is too heavy for him all at once. "How come we aren't a couple?"

  
Myungjun blinks - once, twice, thrice, taking a few seconds to just stare at the blond. Then his face is reddening at such a rapid rate it's a wonder he hasn't fainted from the hasty rush of blood. Jinwoo feels bad about it, but he can't stop the unforeseen flash of a smile that settles in home on his features at Myungjun's adorable reaction to his question.

  
"W-Wha-" Myungjun pauses, averts his gaze to the side where he can focus his attention on a family of ducks as an excuse to not meet eyes with the blond. "What are you talking about?"

  
"You know," Jinwoo says, tilting his head sideways to get the other to look at him, even if he's too embarrassed to do it himself, "You got Sanha and Minhyuk together as a couple. Why can't we be one?"

  
Myungjun realizes Jinwoo is completely right; there's no way he can get out of this one. Unless....

  
"Well, we are soulmates, you know..." He trails off, tone percolating sweet gentleness as it flows, and then he's looking into Jinwoo's eyes with a frown on his face. Jinwoo knows it's not serious, and he gives him a tender smile in return.

  
He doesn't hesitate to lace their fingers together, planting a soft, delicate kiss to the brunette's forehead, drinking in the small gasp he receives from the action. So he does it again, this time directly on Myungjun's nose, plush lips pressing against the supple skin.

  
"Stop," Myungjun whines, eyes constantly fluttering closed from all the kisses he's receiving from Jinwoo, all over his cheeks and his hands. He struggles to get away from Jinwoo's onslaught, but Jinwoo counters with a tight encasing into his arms.

  
"Nope," Another kiss to his forehead, and Jinwoo gazes into his eyes, full of love and warm affection that has a shiver running down Myungjun's spine with tingles tickling his skin. "C'mere."

  
"Come on, Jinwoo..." Myungjun fusses petulantly, "Let's go. Someone might see us."

  
Well, Jinwoo can't really disagree with that statement. School did just get out, and anyone could come by. Neither Jinwoo nor Myungjun are big fans of PDA. Even if he might feel like a hypocrite after this short session ends - something he wishes he could carry out forever; seriously, Myungjun feels like heaven itself, skin so warm and comforting against his own - Jinwoo gifts him one more quick kiss to his cheek, giggling at Myungjun's shy smile as they walk off together, hands still linked together.

 

As time goes by, Jinwoo learns more and more about his soulmate - what he likes, what he dislikes, his hobbies, his childhood and growing up, and so much more.

  
Myungjun loves to sing, and from the times Jinwoo has been endowed the present of letting him hear his singing, he's damn good at it. The boy can _definitely_ sing, what with all the high notes he deftly hits - which seem impossible to Jinwoo - and all the tones he applies to his voice that fit every single song he performs so well. Jinwoo tells him about his interest in rapping, even graciously awards him a little show of his own. The elder watches him with a sparkling glimmer in his eyes, another one of those little things that has Jinwoo's stomach overflowing with butterflies and his emotions unwaningly seeping all throughout him.

  
Jinwoo has somewhat of a habit of going to the dance team's practice room, where all his friends are, and Myungjun likes to tag along, using the notion of hanging out with Sanha as an excuse just so he can spend more time with Jinwoo. Dongmin also likes to stay there and practice dancing with Moonbin, and when the six of them are together, all practicing a dance Minhyuk, Moonbin, and Sanha created, it's as if they're one big family all content and happy with one another; the atmosphere full of lively jubilation they can all feel.

  
In a few weeks, school gets out for two weeks due to winter break, so Jinwoo and Myungjun make an effort to discuss plans about spending the vacation together. Tonight, Myungjun has offered the blond to have a sleepover at his house, something Jinwoo happily agrees to, excitement furnishing every vein in his body.

  
It's a friday, love swelling in the air of every second as Jinwoo packs essentials in a bag, along with a change of clothes; he doesn't bother bringing a sleeping bag, since he figures that he can just sleep in the same bed as Myungjun.

  
When Jinwoo rings the doorbell, and Myungjun's answering the door in less than five seconds flat, breath somewhat caught in his throat and an ample grin sketched onto his visage, he's surprised to find out the brunette's parents aren't home. Jinwoo is somewhat disappointed, since he wanted to introduce himself to his soulmate's parents, but a new surge of excitation buzzes within him at the thought.

  
As soon as Jinwoo is in the door, Myungjun asks him if he wants something to drink, like tea or water, and the blond smiles at the realization that the elder is trying to make him feel at home as much as possible. He goes for plain old water, but since Myungjun is insisting on some new tea flavor he spotted at the store, he doesn't decline in favor of making the other happy, even if it's something as small as that.

  
Myungjun admits he doesn't really have anything planned for their first night together, so Jinwoo suggests watching a movie, as cliche as it sounds. But the other is grinning, fondly, as he fishes out a basket of DVDs from the cabinet the TV sits on and places it on the coffee table in front of the couch the two settle themselves on.

  
After a lot of debating on what to watch - Myungjun really has a huge selection, Jinwoo notes(more for them to pick from the next time he sleeps over at the other's house) - they decide on a classic both of them love, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

  
Shy glances are spared all throughout the running duration of the movie, and at some points, Jinwoo finds himself almost forgetting that a movie is even playing, too focused on the stunning figure beside him; honestly, he feels he's so lucky that Myungjun is the one he's meant to be with. Was he that good of a person in his past life to deserve someone as the one sitting next to him in this very moment? It's a moment that feels like a dream, all drawn out and slow motion like in the movies he's seen. The brunette has to remind the blond they're occupying themselves in something with a blush prominent on his cheeks after coming to realize that he's the one Jinwoo's so focused on. Their hands somehow meet in the middle of it all, Jinwoo's enveloping the elder's smaller ones with an impeccable warmth.

  
Once the movie is over, they move onto more energetic, engaged activities, like playing dance games with the brunette's game consoles and having singing contests with karaoke-styled games. After a while, Jinwoo just wants to relax, so they head into Myungjun's bedroom, and the former grabs a random book from the latter's bookshelf, peering at the back of the book for the summary and determines it's one he finds interesting. He flicks on the lamp that's on top of the nightstand next to Myungjun's bed as he lies down with a few pillows propped against his head, beginning to indulge himself in the first few pages.

  
Only a few minutes in, and he's glad that he's already dressed himself in his grey sweatpants and overly large white tee, because that's when Myungjun decides to creep up on his bed next to the reading blond, clothed in similar attire. He snuggles up against Jinwoo, linking an arm around Jinwoo's that's closer to him as he asks, "What'cha reading?"

  
"Some kind of book from Afghanistan," He peeks at the front of the book, "The Kite Runner."

  
"I like that one," Myungjun softly murmurs, curling his head into Jinwoo's neck. The latter feels his warm breath, hums in contentment when Myungjun begins to purr against his skin.

  
"Not that good so far," Jinwoo states, eyes hastily running across lines on page after page, "but it'll get better," And then he adds, "since you said so."

  
Myungjun lulls, buries his head even further into the crook of the other's neck. Jinwoo smiles - he's been smiling so much today it feels like the edges of his lips are beginning to throb with pain, but he can't stop himself. Especially with someone like Myungjun so close and intimate against him.

  
Around 20 pages later, somewhat distracted from Myungjun's soft, gentle purrs, Jinwoo glances down from his book. The former is beaming up at him, eyebrows lax in pleasant serenity and eyes brimming with glints of happiness.

  
Jinwoo just notices the dim light of the lamp that glows pastel orange and gives off somewhat the feeling of a sunset dawning upon them compliments Myungjun's features a bit too much - not too much for his liking, no, but he's just so damn pretty and he can't stop himself from getting lost in those shimmering orbs.

  
It's like the strongest magnet hit him all at once; the two of them in Myungjun's small room are opposite sides of a battery. Jinwoo feels the attraction pulling him closer and closer to Myungjun, all at a slow rate that feels way too similar to sugar sweet moments when he bites into desserts or listens to the brunette praise him on whatever. He keeps getting drawn closer and closer, and soon enough, Myungjun is leaning in, too.

  
Their lips meet for the first time, and to Jinwoo, it sets off an electric current in him that tingles all the way down to his toes and floods warm sentiments throughout his entire body. They don't move for the first few seconds, letting their lips stay stagnant, just enveloping themselves in the feel of the other. But then Jinwoo takes the initiative and presses his mouth just that bit harder, and Myungjun responds with just as much fervor.

  
Jinwoo made the right judgement when he first saw Myungjun, that his lips looked so soft and delicate. They're so tender under his own, like he's biting into cotton candy that melts into his mouth with just a few touches of his tongue. Their lips slide against each other's in a languid roll, and Jinwoo places one of his hands on the brunette's cheek, the other clutching his supple waist.

  
Myungjun isn't sure of where to place his hands; he sets them on Jinwoo's waist, his shoulders, his face, and around his neck. But Jinwoo seems to appreciate the gesture, for he's moving the hand that was once on Myungjun's cheek around the back of his neck, angling the latter's head so he can deepen their kiss as he slightly opens his mouth to kiss him again and again and again. A shiver runs down the blond's spine when Myungjun mewls against his mouth at the sudden change.

  
One kiss, one sweet peck - that's all Jinwoo intended it to be, but he really can't stop himself, not when Myungjun is so pliant next to him as they both lie on their sides, facing each other. Their mouths move lethargically, but Jinwoo couldn't want anything more. A knee brushes up against the younger's, and that causes their noses to bump together harshly; Myungjun recoils with a loud cry and grasps his nose, peeking up at Jinwoo, whose face is painted charmingly red and pink, breath coming out in short pants. He smiles, again, and Myungjun reciprocates the action.

  
Embarrassment hits him all at once, and then Myungjun is swiftly throwing the covers over himself as he turns his body the other way. Jinwoo's chest rises up and down with every deep breath he takes.

  
"L-Let's go to sleep..." Myungjun whimpers, voice quiet and tone flustered. Jinwoo nods, profusely, before realizing he's just gesturing to open air, so he places the book - disbanded on his lap that he didn't even realize got there - on top of the nightstand and flickers off the lamp.

  
"Mmk..." Jinwoo mumbles, mind stuck on the realization that he could have totally initiated a french kiss, with tongues dancing on top of another, but he's somewhat glad he didn't. They're not ready for that yet, he knows.

  
Yet, excitement is running through his veins so much that he hardly sleeps that night, accompanied by the light purrs Myungjun elicits as he's sound asleep.

 

A few weeks later, on the night of the day where their two week break starts, Jinwoo is interrupted while reading as a noise informs him he's received a text. The screen's bright against his eyes and he unlocks his phone and is glad to see it's Myungjun who's taken the time to talk to him.

  
**Myungjun:**  
wyd?

  
**Jinwoo:**  
nothing much, u?

  
**Myungjun:**  
same, wanna meet up?

  
**Jinwoo:**   
sure, where?

  
**Myungjun:**   
the park. u kno, the 1 u took me 2 when we first met

  
**Jinwoo:**   
sounds good. when?

  
**Myungjun:**  
ill b there in 5 to 10 mins. heading out now

  
**Jinwoo:**  
kk. c u soon

  
**Myungjun:**  
u 2

  
Jinwoo immediately puts his book down and puts on something more appropriate as he leaves to go see his soulmate.

  
"Hey," the blond breathes as soon as he spots Myungjun standing in the center of the park, gazing up at the starry sky.

  
Myungjun grins, makes a small sound of contentment as their gazes meet, "Hey."

  
"So," Jinwoo sticks his hands into his jean pockets, beginning to stroll in a sluggish circle with long, drawn out steps around the elder as he casually asks, "What's the occasion?"

  
Myungjun playfully hums, tips his head to the side and positions the tip of his index finger to his chin in mock pondering. "Just wanted to see you, that's all."

  
Jinwoo's breath hitches. It's the sweet, meager gestures and words that always get to him, and he likes to think it's just because it's Myungjun who says them to him. He appreciates the way the elder cuts through the silent atmosphere with a gaze to the sky above them, pointing out the beauty of the stars and their constellations.

  
"Yeah," Jinwoo nods, "not as beautiful as you, though."

  
The words slip out a bit too soon before Jinwoo is able to take them back, but with the way Myungjun seems to gawk at the younger's compliment, he's glad his mind decided for him. A glimmer flickers through his eyes before he smiles, then just focuses back up on the empyrean of cosmos high over their heads. Jinwoo does the same.

  
He's already told the elder about his major in astronomy and how the textbooks he read in grade school made him wonder so much about the universe in color. The sky is a dark, royal blue just like Moonbin and Dongmin taught him that one day they went star watching on the eldest's roof, and the stars illuminate with a white sparkle and yellow highlight. However, in this moment, together with his soulmate, the view has never looked prettier, even when he was alone checking out the sky after he had met Myungjun for the very first time. It's the presence of the other that makes this night so special.

  
"Moonbin and Dongmin never told me it was this pretty," Jinwoo intercedes, "They did say it was beautiful, but holy crap."

  
A giggle comes from Myungjun, and Jinwoo thinks its the prettiest sound. "They're a sweet couple," the elder says, scooting closer to the blond, and the latter just suddenly realizes how close they are; their shoulders are barely touching at this point, and he's sure he wants to get even closer.

  
He scoots forward even more, closing that small gap between them. "They met each other on the first day of high school. Moonbin and I met in middle school, and Sanha and Moonbin were childhood friends." He chuckles as he continues, "You should have seen the look on their faces when him and Dongmin first saw each other. It was at lunch time, but-hey, check this out."

  
Myungjun looks beside him and catches sight of Jinwoo's eyes almost closed in an eye smile, all crescent-like, with his mouth wide open and jaw slacking. The former bursts out in laughter, high-pitched and as sweet as can be to the ears of the blond who joins in.

  
"Colors were kind of a weird thing to me at first," Myungjun begins once he's finished laughing, "I was in 3rd grade when someone finally decided to tell me that what I was seeing wasn't meant to be. That people like us are actually meant to see things beyond two or three shades - you know, white, black, and gray if you can count that - and that it's so much prettier than what I was used to seeing. I couldn't understand it at first, so I went back home to my mom, and sure enough, she told me all about it - confirmed that it was all the truth. What was I supposed to think? I had been living a lie."

  
Myungjun takes a moment to pause and breathe, looking directly at Jinwoo as he continues, "But you know how my personality is. I'm optimistic and cheerful, so I just didn't let it get to me. I continued living peacefully through middle and high school, and through the first few weeks of college. When I first looked at you, I wasn't really surprise-I mean I was, that you were the one-but more because I had heard so much about colors that the idea didn't really faze me that I was suddenly seeing something so new."

  
"My mom loved to feed me white lies when I was a kid," Jinwoo says, and this easily grabs the attention of Myungjun's curiousity, "Told me those flashes I got whenever I slept were color - actually, they were, now that I think about it - but that I was going to meet my soulmate real soon," He laughs, breath fanning out his nose, "That was two years before I finally met you."

  
"Really?" Myungjun's exclaims, "I had those too."

  
Now it's Jinwoo's turn to ask the same question, and Myungjun nods.

  
"I remember that one time I walked in on Moonbin on top of Dongmin in the dance practice room. Moonbin told me later that they were practicing a couple dance he made, and that I just so happened to walk in at the wrong time," Jinwoo laughs as he recalls the horrified expressions they wore the moment he stepped in, begging for him to not misunderstand the situation.

  
"Oh, that reminds me!" Myungjun cries. "I saw Sanha writing a love letter to Minhyuk during class. It was so cute, he was so flustered and begging me to not to tell Minhyuk."

  
Topics similar to the ones they're discussing swim easily through the currents of their lively atmosphere, like how Jinwoo saw Moonbin getting hit on the head with a book by Dongmin after trying act cool in front of the other, and how he once spotted Minhyuk walking behind Sanha, desperately trying to grab his attention by shouting out to him, unable to see the fact that the younger was wearing headphones. Like how both Myungjun and Jinwoo were unable to hit a single target that one time they went to an arcade a few weeks ago, but Sanha was able to hit four. The laughs shared between the two are airy and full of breath, stomachs hurting and faces beaming.

  
"Listen, Jinwoo, I-" Jinwoo is able to sense the hesitation in the elder's words, so he doesn't press for him to continue, but he is curious as he waits. "I have something to tell you."

  
Oh? Jinwoo's eyebrows rise in inquiry. Something bad isn't going to happen, is it? Like Myungjun suddenly deciding he doesn't want to be his friend anymore, is done with all that soulmate business and whatever, doesn't want to be near the other-  
"I'm going to be gone for a week." The words that come from the elder's mouth make the blond almost cry in sorrow, yet sigh in relief at the same time that it's not an outcome as bad as he was afraid of. He stays silent, decides to take the assertive route and let the brunette further explain the situation.

  
Myungjun looks like he's drowned in anguish, too, and it makes the blond's heart hurt. His chest tightens and it feels like his heart is blazing in an inferno. "I'm leaving tonight. But it's okay, it's only a week. The break is two weeks, right?" But then Myungjun is smiling, his lips are curved upwards and stretching to his cheeks, dimples ravishing and cute all at the same time. "We can skype every day, and video chat, we can also text-"

  
"I love you."

  
Myungjun gasps, mouth agape after the words tumble from the blond's mouth. He's already so damn full of emotions right now, and this only serves to add to the pile of fluttering butterflies in his stomach Jinwoo has stuck in him. The warmth is too much for him to handle - he's already missing the blond crazily.

  
"I love you," the blond repeats, and Myungjun feels a single tear drip down his cheek from the sentiments that flood within him, like an overflowing cup toppled with too much water.

  
Myungjun nods, profusely and clumsily as he mewls, "I love you too, I don't want to leave you, I really don't, I-I love you so much, Jinwoo-"

  
Jinwoo isn't sure what led him to it, but he just unknowingly grabs the elder and presses their lips together in a gentle touch, soft and tender and everything they've ever wanted - ever hoped for. Myungjun's eyes flutter closed after stained with a few stray tears, giving into the sudden slide of Jinwoo's mouth against his, because everything with Jinwoo is just so warm and the blond himself is warmth. Their lips glide together in a steady rhythm, and before Jinwoo knows it, he's pulling the other back in for even more kisses, placidly pushing his tongue against Myungjun's lips. The latter comply opens his mouth, and Jinwoo groans from the taste of the other; he's so damn sweet and tastes like melted sugar in his mouth.

  
Myungjun keeps himself pliant as he lets Jinwoo take control of the speed and direction in which their mouths meet over and over again, lets Jinwoo tilt their necks to deepen the kisses and lets the younger place his hands on his waist as they stand together on the grounds of the park, together as if they're the only ones in the world.

  
The moonlight illuminates on both of them above the royal blue sky, and as Jinwoo perfectly fits his mouth against Myungjun's, he doesn't think he could ask for anyone better as a soulmate.

  
He doesn't think the color of Myungjun's hair, his face, his everything, could be any prettier.

  
He doesn't think the taste of him could be any sweeter.

  
He doesn't think the gift of colors _could_ be any better than Myungjun.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> im thinking bout making sequels for this - one for dongmin&moonbin's relationship and one for minhyuk&sanha's relationship? does that sound like a good idea, cause i have a lot of those, hehe~


End file.
